Planning Ahead, Being Prepared: Looking into Future Possibilities for Library Space

OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (former Oslo and Akershus University College) is a new university, situated in the city center of Oslo, with 20.000 students. Four libraries support research and education at their local campuses, 3 of them situated within a 5 minutes walking distance. The university is growing and the need for working space for the students are increasing. There are various plans to expand the university library, from just revitalize the existing library space, extending the existing premises or merging the three campus libraries and move to new premises. We want to plan ahead of those changes and be prepared for different scenarios. In this paper, we will describe the continuing process of rethinking and redesigning existing library space in a time of big and sometimes unpredictable changes. User centered design methods (UX) will be used for getting information about the use of the premises and the needs and wishes of our students. A new method for visual seat sweeps combined with user surveys will give us better understanding of how and where our users prefer to study. The program Rapal Optimaze will give us visual maps showing the use of seating and the impact of use in different zones in the main library P48. In the same period, we are also recording questions at the circulation desks. All these methods will give us valuable UX variables to consider when planning ahead. The results will be presented together with different scenarios for utilizing the library space for the benefit of our users

Behind The Design

Higher education is a place of learning and such a space requires the optimal design for a learning setting. While classrooms are an important space for learning in higher education, they are not the only place, where learning occurs on campuses. These spaces outside of the classroom are referred to in ways such as “private study areas”, “writing centers,” and “third spaces”, but in this paper, these spaces are referred to as informal study spaces. These spaces are identified as any space, outside of a formal classroom setting, where students regularly congregate for academic purposes. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) has a myriad of informal study spaces, old and new, spread throughout the Richmond, KY campus. In order to narrow the study and develop area-specific observations, this study focuses on three select informal study spaces on EKU campus. The informal study spaces analyzed include the Noel Studio, the Powell Student Center, and the Center for STEM Excellence. This research seeks to highlight the history of the identified informal study spaces, their progress through design, and the design\u27s impact on the users of the spaces. The study also identifies what students and staff envision for the future of these spaces. To gain both the staff and student perspectives, a student survey is implemented alongside in-depth interviews, which are administered to voluntary faculty respondents. The progress of the design intents and impacts, significant and observable behaviors, thought processes, or changes in the observed parties, are documented in an ephemera book to give members of EKU tangible documentation of this research

Vielfältig statt ideal: Arbeitspsychologisches Feldexperiment zur Gestaltung von Nutzerarbeitsplätzen in einer Universitätsbibliothek

Der vorliegende Aufsatz stellt ein arbeitspsychologisches Feldexperiment zur Untersuchung von vier verschiedenen Nutzerarbeitsplatzqualitäten innerhalb der Publikumsfläche der Universitätsbibliothek der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg anhand der subjektiv beurteilten Lernumgebung durch Studierende dar und wurde von der Universitätsbibliothek mit dem Ziel in Auftrag gegeben, mögliche Ansatzpunkte für eine nutzendenorientierte Optimierung der Arbeitsplätze abzuleiten. In Anlehnung an vergleichbare Studien in anderen Universitätsbibliotheken wurde die Wahrnehmung der Lernumgebung und die Beurteilung der Nutzerarbeitsplätze mittels eigens für diese Untersuchung erstellten Fragebögen sowie standardisierten Interviews erhoben. Außerdem wurde ein mobiles Eye-Tracking-System zur Analyse potentieller Ablenkungsfaktoren in der Lernumgebung genutzt. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass sich die wahrgenommenen Eigenschaften der Lernumgebung auf das Wohlbefinden der Studierenden auswirken, welches wiederum die Wahl ihres Arbeitsplatzes beeinflusst. Basierend auf der Interpretation der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse und unter Berücksich-tigung möglicher Kritikpunkte am Studiendesign zeigen die Daten Evidenz dafür, dass die Helligkeit, die ergonomische Ausstattung, ein freies Sichtfeld sowie die Lautstärke wichtige Einflussfaktoren für das Wohlbefinden der Studierenden darstellen, wobei auch die individuellen Lernpräferenzen dazu führen, dass Nutzende unterschiedliche Plätze favorisieren. Den idealen Nutzerarbeitsplatz gibt es demnach nicht. Die Aufgabe einer Universitätsbibliothek sollte daher u. a. darin bestehen, den Studierenden eine möglichst vielfältige Auswahl an Arbeitsplätzen zur Verfügung zu stellen.This paper presents a psychological study, which examined four different work spaces in the university library of the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg based on the learning environment evaluated by students. The study was commissioned by the library with the aim to identify important factors in designing a learning environment, which fits the students` needs. Based on similar studies conducted in other university libraries the environmental perception and the evaluation of the workspaces were examined with questionnaires and standardised interviews. A mobile eye-tracking system was used to analyse potential distractors around the spaces. The results show that the perceived features of the learning environment have an impact on the wellbeing of the students, which in turn influences the choice of their favourite learning space. Based on the interpretation of these findings and taking into account possible limitations of the study design the data indicate that light, ergonomic features and the visibility of the whole room as well as noise have an important influence on the wellbeing of students. However, because of individual learning preferences, users prefer different learning spaces. Therefore there cannot be the perfect learning space. The results indicate that university libraries should focus on providing a diverse choice of learning spaces

Escola imaginária: ensaios(s) didático(s) para uma educação livre, equitativa e de qualidade

Nos períodos escolares, os alunos portugueses do EBS passam cerca de 30% do seu tempo útil na escola. Se lhes déssemos oportunidade, como a organizariam? Ou seja, qual a 'Escola Imaginária' com que sonham os nossos jovens? Perseguindo a resposta a estas questões, no sentido de contribuir para uma educação convergente com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, desafiámos um conjunto de alunos a posicionarem-se face ao passado e presente, imaginando a escola que gostariam de frequentar. Acreditamos que daqui poderão resultar indicações pertinentes para as escolas e, acima de tudo, para o desenvolvimento deste projeto, que pretende avançar da dimensão imaginária dos 'territórios escolares', para os processos e práticas de ensino-aprendizagem da Geografia mais consentâneos com os ideais de uma educação livre, equitativa e de qualidade

Inclusive Design of Workspaces: Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Users

Accessible design within the built environment has often focused on mobility conditions and has recently widened to include mental health. Additionally, as one in seven are neurodivergent (including conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia), this highlights a growing need for designing for ‘non-visible’ conditions in addition to mobility. Emphasised by the growing disability pay gap and the disability perception gap, people with disabilities are still facing discrimination and physical barriers within the workplace. This research aimed to identify key ways of reducing physical barriers faced by people with a disability and thus encourage more comfortable and productive use of workspaces for all. Once the need for designing for a spectrum of users and inclusive workspace design was understood, a survey was then circulated to students and staff at a large university in the UK (working remotely from home), with the aim of understanding how people have adapted their home spaces and what barriers they continue to face. Quantitative and qualitative results were compared to the literature read with key issues emerging, such as separating work and rest from spaces in bedrooms. The survey findings and literature were evaluated, extracting key performance-based goals (e.g., productivity and focus within a study space) and prescriptive design features (e.g., lighting, furniture, and thermal comfort), whilst also considering the inclusivity of these features. The key conclusion establishes that, to achieve maximum benefit, it is important to work with the users to understand specific needs and identify creative and inclusive solutions

Space Invasion In The Academic Library: A Poststructural Analysis Using Discourse, Power/Knowledge, And Biopower

This dissertation is a poststructural analysis of the trend of space utilization and design in academic libraries. Using post qualitative inquiry and a method of plugging in, this study critiques the library science literature on space, identifying binary relationships and power circulating in both library patrons and library staff. Poststructural concepts of discourse, deconstruction, power/knowledge, and biopower, in connection with the library science literature, work to identify these binary relationships and power relations that alter subjectivities and practices of patrons and library staff. One central finding is that numerous discourses work to renovate spaces based on a consumerist approach focused on technology and social gathering. In addition to calling for leadership that follows poststructural methods, this dissertation analyzes how power and power relations have the potential to rearrange how patrons and librarians situate themselves in library spaces. Finally, in studying the dominant discourse of space, the analysis also examines how library spaces operate as a site of biopower. Because space changes to libraries are developed through discourse and power, and poststructuralism interprets language as being socially constructed, there is a need to deconstruct the “truths” that have gained traction making library space part of a dominant set of binaries

Space Invasion In The Academic Library: A Poststructural Analysis Using Discourse, Power/Knowledge, And Biopower

This dissertation is a poststructural analysis of the trend of space utilization and design in academic libraries. Using post qualitative inquiry and a method of plugging in, this study offers a critique of the library science literature on space, identifying binary relationships and power circulating in both library patrons and library staff. Poststructural concepts of discourse, deconstruction, power/knowledge, and biopower, in connection with the library science literature, work to identify these binary relationships and power relations that alter subjectivities and practices of patrons and library staff. One central finding is that numerous discourses are working to renovate spaces based on a consumerist approach focused on technology and social gathering, as well as a perceived obsolescence that administrators experience in future planning. In addition to calling for leadership that follows poststructural methods, this dissertation analyzes how power and power relations have the potential to rearrange how patrons and librarians situate themselves in library spaces. Finally, in studying the dominant discourse of space, the analysis also examines how library spaces operate as a site of biopower. Transitioning to Foucault’s notion of biopower uncovers how the library population of faculty, students, and community members, as well as library employees, become controlled and regulated through the normalization of discourses on space. Because space changes to libraries are developed through discourse and power, and poststructuralism interprets language as being socially constructed, there is a need to deconstruct the “truths” that have gained traction making library space part of a dominant set of binaries